Havana area change

[jimbo5544]

As of next week, the Vista and Horizon Havana pool area will no longer be open to general public.  

[Ellusionz]

After 7pm?

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, Ellusionz said:

After 7pm?

At all

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, Ellusionz said:

After 7pm?

But to be specific, they re removing the availability for everyone to use 7 pm and later.  

Edited October 26, 2019 by jimbo5544

[pbcbbc]

Link?

[jbethel11]

10 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

As of next week, the Vista and Horizon Havana pool area will no longer be open to general public.  

Source?

[jimbo5544]

But to answer your question, two people currently on one of the two ships who said it was confirmed by staff.

[purplephenom]

Carnival confirmed this on their fb page as well in response to a visitor post.  

 

I womder if this means Havana will be opened to all suite guests or if a certain number of guests will be able to pay for access onboard. 

[shellster1]

19 minutes ago, purplephenom said:

Carnival confirmed this on their fb page as well in response to a visitor post.  

 

I womder if this means Havana will be opened to all suite guests or if a certain number of guests will be able to pay for access onboard. 

I wonder this as well. From what I've read, the havana area doesn't get too crowded after 7:00pm since this is usually when people are eating, going to shows, etc..I have to wonder what the reasoning is to this. I've also read on the Horizon, it's already open to all ocean-suite guests, as well as they've expanded it to all aft-cabin guests. Iv'e read this hasn't been an issue though. However, opening it as a "pay-to access" area might make it too crowded. ??

I admit, I'm concerned. I just splurged on one of these cabins for a New Years cruise with my (now 12-year-old) son...specifically for the privacy, as it's always just the 2 of us. It's a dream to think of not actually having to battle for a spot in the hot tub or pool, or fight for 2 chairs together. The reviews from previous havana guests have been so incredible. I'm so excited to experience this. I would be so disappointed to find out I spent a bunch of extra money for nothing. I'll be following this thread for sure. Thanks to the OP for posting.

[shof515]

1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

Source?

from facebook:

[shof515]

1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

Source?

and here is another source too:

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-changing-havana-pool-access-on-vista-class-ships/

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, shof515 said:

from facebook:

There was another source as well, which made me very confident to bring it forward here.

[mrlddst]

3 hours ago, shellster1 said:

I wonder this as well. From what I've read, the havana area doesn't get too crowded after 7:00pm since this is usually when people are eating, going to shows, etc..I have to wonder what the reasoning is to this. I've also read on the Horizon, it's already open to all ocean-suite guests, as well as they've expanded it to all aft-cabin guests. Iv'e read this hasn't been an issue though. However, opening it as a "pay-to access" area might make it too crowded. ??

I admit, I'm concerned. I just splurged on one of these cabins for a New Years cruise with my (now 12-year-old) son...specifically for the privacy, as it's always just the 2 of us. It's a dream to think of not actually having to battle for a spot in the hot tub or pool, or fight for 2 chairs together. The reviews from previous havana guests have been so incredible. I'm so excited to experience this. I would be so disappointed to find out I spent a bunch of extra money for nothing. I'll be following this thread for sure. Thanks to the OP for posting.

I was in a Havana on the Horizon this past August. It was packed after 7 every night. It was loud and boozy. It didn't bother us but we definitely didn't try to go back out to enjoy it after 7.

[shellster1]

25 minutes ago, mrlddst said:

I was in a Havana on the Horizon this past August. It was packed after 7 every night. It was loud and boozy. It didn't bother us but we definitely didn't try to go back out to enjoy it after 7.

Thanks for your input. It's good to know. I also wonder if perhaps the cabana cabins get too much foot traffic after 7:00? Isn't there a walkway on both sides on deck 5 that goes to the rest of the ship? I have wondered if there are doors, or how it's accessed?

[geoffrywillhardt]

Not gonna lie I'm dissapointed in the timing of this. We are going on the Panorama over Christmas and I was planning on checking the area out at least one day to see if I thought it was worth possibly booking a Havana cabin. Now since I'm assuming this will be the same on the Panorama as the Vista and Horizon, I will not be able to. Guess I should have made the effort and checked it out on the Horizon when we sailed on it. 

[Schlinger]

I booked a cruise on the Carnival Horizon in a Havana cabin after seeing all the positive feedback.  At the time of booking, I did not realize that access was granted to the crowds after 7pm.  If I had known that, I would not have booked a Carnival cruise at all. 

 

It seems insane to me that they would sell premium cabins at a higher price but that the advantage you're paying for would only be available part-time.  That would be like booking a business class flight where people from tourist class get access after dinner.  Go to the bathroom and find your seat taken by another passenger upon return.  Madness IMHO.  Good to hear they corrected that mistake.  How they could make it to start with is still mysterious to me.  Any ideas ?

[geoffrywillhardt]

44 minutes ago, Schlinger said:

  How they could make it to start with is still mysterious to me.  Any ideas ?

I think the logic was that after 7pm most people would be eating dinner, going to shows, gambling, but not swimming or sitting in a hot tub. Therefore if there isn't as much demand open it up to everyone to encourage people to utilize it and want to spend time there and at the bar. As I said in my post I wanted to check it out and see if it is worth booking, at this point thats not gonna happen so I probably will never book a Havana cabin. I don't blame them for making it exclusive but I feel like the more things the make exclusive to certain categories the less likely I am to book that ship. Sure they might be able to get away with one pool and set of hot tubs but anything more and I think I will just go to a ship or line where everything is open to enjoy no matter if your in a suite or inside cabin. Not a huge fan of the idea of a ship within a ship, hopefully they don't take it further.  

[shof515]

2 hours ago, geoffrywillhardt said:

Not a huge fan of the idea of a ship within a ship, hopefully they don't take it further.  

 

it seems to be the trend now, class cruising which it seems to be is now back. Norwegian has it, Celebrity has it, Princess has it on some ships, MSC has it

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, shellster1 said:

Thanks for your input. It's good to know. I also wonder if perhaps the cabana cabins get too much foot traffic after 7:00? Isn't there a walkway on both sides on deck 5 that goes to the rest of the ship? I have wondered if there are doors, or how it's accessed?

There is not a lot of foot traffic. 

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, Schlinger said:

I booked a cruise on the Carnival Horizon in a Havana cabin after seeing all the positive feedback.  At the time of booking, I did not realize that access was granted to the crowds after 7pm.  If I had known that, I would not have booked a Carnival cruise at all. 

 

It seems insane to me that they would sell premium cabins at a higher price but that the advantage you're paying for would only be available part-time.  That would be like booking a business class flight where people from tourist class get access after dinner.  Go to the bathroom and find your seat taken by another passenger upon return.  Madness IMHO.  Good to hear they corrected that mistake.  How they could make it to start with is still mysterious to me.  Any ideas ?

When we cruised on both Vista and Horizon the Havana pool area was dead every night of the cruise, so it definitely wasn’t a mistake in my book, at least initially. 
 

My guess Is there are two things going on here. First, over time Carnival has expanded Havana access to more cabins. Second, there have likely been several instances where the Havana area got crowded/rowdy at night like previously mentioned by a poster in this thread. So once again not really a mistake, just Carnival adjusting a rule as they have made changes to Havana area access over time. 

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, geoffrywillhardt said:

I think the logic was that after 7pm most people would be eating dinner, going to shows, gambling, but not swimming or sitting in a hot tub. Therefore if there isn't as much demand open it up to everyone to encourage people to utilize it and want to spend time there and at the bar. As I said in my post I wanted to check it out and see if it is worth booking, at this point thats not gonna happen so I probably will never book a Havana cabin. I don't blame them for making it exclusive but I feel like the more things the make exclusive to certain categories the less likely I am to book that ship. Sure they might be able to get away with one pool and set of hot tubs but anything more and I think I will just go to a ship or line where everything is open to enjoy no matter if your in a suite or inside cabin. Not a huge fan of the idea of a ship within a ship, hopefully they don't take it further.  

Not really debating it, but the concept is currently on 2 ships and will be on one coming out (Panorama) and even in more ways (at least two distinct areas on Mardi Gras, possibly more).  For the foreseeable future, it is not going away. 

[jimbo5544]

4 hours ago, Schlinger said:

I booked a cruise on the Carnival Horizon in a Havana cabin after seeing all the positive feedback.  At the time of booking, I did not realize that access was granted to the crowds after 7pm.  If I had known that, I would not have booked a Carnival cruise at all. 

 

It seems insane to me that they would sell premium cabins at a higher price but that the advantage you're paying for would only be available part-time.  That would be like booking a business class flight where people from tourist class get access after dinner.  Go to the bathroom and find your seat taken by another passenger upon return.  Madness IMHO.  Good to hear they corrected that mistake.  How they could make it to start with is still mysterious to me.  Any ideas ?

Not all that mysterious to me. You have an area which is not used much in hours where the people who paid for the premium are not there.  Making better use of the ship in whole.  As my friend Philly mentioned, it may be simply people abused the use and in began to infringe on not just the pool during those hours, and in more volume than anticipated.  

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, geoffrywillhardt said:

Not gonna lie I'm dissapointed in the timing of this. We are going on the Panorama over Christmas and I was planning on checking the area out at least one day to see if I thought it was worth possibly booking a Havana cabin. Now since I'm assuming this will be the same on the Panorama as the Vista and Horizon, I will not be able to. Guess I should have made the effort and checked it out on the Horizon when we sailed on it. 

Try booking one, it is worth the cost for the experience. 

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, shellster1 said:

Thanks for your input. It's good to know. I also wonder if perhaps the cabana cabins get too much foot traffic after 7:00? Isn't there a walkway on both sides on deck 5 that goes to the rest of the ship? I have wondered if there are doors, or how it's accessed?

There are two ways to access the area, thru the Havana lounge and two electronically controlled gates.  I believe (but never tested) the gates opened for others after 7, and the staff assigned to control access had different marching orders during that time.  

[mrlddst]

No, the path near the cabanas had no foot traffic. I loved the area either way. I'm glad for the change. Regardless of how small the area is on the Mardi Gras, I hope they make the same change. I'm already booked for a cabin.